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Date Posted: 21:41:10 09/29/01 Sat
Author: BDW
Subject: Re: No need to be rational
In reply to: Remington 's message, "No need to be rational" on 20:22:47 09/29/01 Sat

>Believe me, speaking rationally is not a condition for
>posting on this board.
>
>Being the son of a NG instructor (SONGCI), why do you
>use a hybrid swing? So what did you change?
>
>Enquiring minds want to know?
>
>Remington

Good question. First off, I truly believe the SA swing is mechanically superior to CG in every way. I think for 90 percent of people attempting to play this game, who just can't get any better with CG, it's the optimum method.

Like I said earlier, I was a 3 before I converted so I was not really the "target market" for NG. And I realized that. While doing pure NG with the G2 irons, I stayed at the same level scoring wise. With NG, the soft draw I played on every shot with CG disappeared and I hit it laser straight, with an on-command fade. I never hit more dead-on flush shots in my life. The problem was trajectory. The strong lofts of those irons, coupled with the NG ball position that was back several inches further in my stance than my CG position, made me hit these darts ridiculous distances. I was hitting 170 yard 7 irons that would not hold greens. I was hitting 145 yard PWs.

The synergistic effects of the clubs, the method, and my tendency to be a low-ball hitter ganged up to make that happen. This was despite the fact that at impact my head was a Moe-like distance behind the ball. I also was no big fan of the super high hand position, though I know NG has softened a bit on this to allow a slightly lower, though still SA, set-up. Early on, NG was promoting such a high hand position that peoples' left wrists were actually bowed upward! This in order to get the butt of the club aiming to one's left armpit. That was a big mistake. The butt of the club should aim several inches below the armpit, not at it, and I hope NG is now advocating that. I know my dad does. A bowed left wrist is a terrible and weak way to start a golf swing.

I stuck with it for 3 years. The thing I noticed was I was so straight I didn't get into much trouble (except for going over greens). I'd shoot a typical 74 with 16 pars and two bogeys, while with CG I'd shoot a 74 with 4 birdies, 4 bogeys and a double. But because of the inability to control my short iron distances with NG, I didn't make many birdies anymore. A good player really has to learn to compensate for the purity of strike he gets with NG and adjust. I didn't do a great job of that. You get used to the glancing, but predictable, strikes you get with CG.

I carry over a lot of tenets of NG into my current swing and they've made me a better ballstriker than I was pre-NG. The handicap has stayed the same because my short game has gotten worse! My stance is much wider, I no longer sway off the ball like I used to (swing into a stumped left leg), and my hands are now much lower at the top of my backswing than before (though still slightly above shoulder height). I'm still basically doing NG, but modified to make it work for me with an overlap grip and comfortable hand position. I play all my iron shots just inside my left heel, which lets me get normal loft and predictable distances. I have gone back to playing a soft draw because it works for me. I no longer fade the ball well, like I could with NG, however.

I believe everyone has a natural "bottom" of their swing arc, and you should find it, then put the ball there. Forcing one ball position for every arc is a recipe for all sorts of problems, including trajectory/distance control like I had, and I believe this was and may still be a big teaching flaw at NG.

I quite often contemplate going back to the NG equipment, with the P3s and the Moe blades being more up my alley, but every time I do I go out and shoot even par or a couple under and wonder why I should. The only thing that is going to shave those last few strokes off my handicap is better putting, and nothing can help me there.

Sorry for the novel, but that's the story. As you can tell from the previous posts, I think overemphasis on the science hinders rather than helps most students. A good teacher can make a great cake without confusing you with exactly how many grains of sugar he used to make it.

Regards,

BDW

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